Police west of Edmonton are expected to remain on the scene of a serious collision on Highway 16, after two gravel trucks collided Thursday.
RCMP were called late Thursday morning with a complaint regarding a gravel truck that was headed eastbound on Highway 16 – it was reported the truck was speeding, and weaving in traffic.
As the complainant was speaking with the dispatcher, they watched as another gravel truck turned eastbound onto Highway 16 from Range Road 20.
"The advised there was a gravel truck driving fast and erratically," Cpl. Collette Zazulak with Stony Plain RCMP said. "At the same time that they were on the phone with us, they advised that they witnessed a collision,"
The trucks collided, and the vehicle that sparked the complaint burst into flames, and gravel was strewn over the roadway.
Police said passersby helped to rescue the driver from the car, and he was airlifted by STARS Air Ambulance to hospital in Edmonton.
The other driver was rushed to hospital by ground ambulance, the conditions of both drivers were not known.
While the collision was serious, police were looking on the bright side, as it could have had a much more tragic ending.
"In a sense, we're fortunate it was two very large vehicles, in that if we did have a smaller sedan or something like that versus a gravel truck, the outcome could've been far worse," Zazulak said.
RCMP asked drivers Thursday to avoid the area – CTV News learned the eastbound lanes of the highway were expected to remain closed for several hours, and traffic was diverted onto Highway 16A.
With files from Susan Amerongen
